elisi | Wild At Heart, Pangs, Hush. Mini thoughts.

Posting this just to get it out of the way. Nothing deep, just a stray thought about each of the eps. in question.

Wild at Heart

Like most people, I love Willow/Oz. It’s such a sweet pairing, but when Veruca comes along I realised what was missing: Passion. It might be there, but I can’t see it. (It might also be because I don’t find AH hot... this is all about how *I* see it, others are free to disagree!) Because the scene when Oz tries to get Veruca to come into the cage with him - before suddenly grabbing hold of her and pulling her in - that’s hot. Veruca is a total bitch of course, but her scenes with Oz are more intense than any he has with Willow. IMHO anyway...

(We also see a lot of groundwork being laid for Gay!Willow and Dark!Willow in these early episodes - her rant against men generally when talking to Parker, the big Lesbian Alliance banner in ‘Something Blue’ to mention just two things. As for magic then her vengeance spell on Veruca and Oz shows how easily she will turn to vengeance - there’s a reason D’Hoffryn wants to recruit her.)

Pangs

We have the big vampire switcheroo in this ep. Starting with both our vampires out in the cold - v. obvious parallel.

But the first time we see Angel interact with anyone and find out what his deal is, he is in Giles’ apartment - and if not a friend exactly, then Angel a tolerated helper, a part of the inner circle. He moves on to talk to all of the Scoobies - but not Buffy - and at the end leaves completely, after one final look through the window at a world he is no longer part of.

Spike also gets a look in a window, at the vampire world that is now closed to him - even Harmony throws him out. So he seeks out Buffy - asking for her help openly. And gets invited in... At the end of the episode he is sat at the table with the rest of the gang - barely tolerated, but he’s on the inside now. And that’s where he’ll stay, as a part of the group.

Looking at the table, it has Buffy, Giles, Willow, Xander, Anya and Spike - the six people who’ll be there right until the end.

Hush

No deep thoughts at all. If you want some go read Spring Summers, she's amazing. This time there was one thing that struck me. Of course the ep. is all about communication, but this aspect never struck me before:

Forrest: "This is the burden we bear, brother. We have a gig that would inevitably cause any girl living to think we are cool upon cool. Yet we must Clark Kent our way through the dating scene never to use our unfair advantage."

Because Giles *did* use his 'gig' to make Olivia to think he was cool upon cool - and paid the price:

Olivia: "All the time you used to talk to me about witchcraft and darkness and the like - I just thought you were being pretentious."
Giles: "Oh I was. I was also right."
Olivia: "So everything you told me was true."
Giles: "Well no, um, I wasn't actually one of the original members of Pink Floyd. But the monster stuff, yes."
Olivia: "Scary."
Giles: "Too scary?"
Olivia: "I don't know."

Not sure I have any further thoughts, but I found it interesting.

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

I never saw Willow/Oz as particularly hot either. I didn't think Alyson was great at playing that, hence season 7 having Willow look like Kennedy licking her neck was a fate worse than death *g*

I completely agree with you about Willow/Oz. Definitely cute, but I never saw the passion. Oz and Veruca had passion in spades. Really, we only saw passion from Willow when she was doing something selfish.

Neat observations. :)

I've always saw AH as cute, I also saw more passion in Willow's kissing with Xander than with Oz. It was a cute relationship I seriously wanted to work out, because I loved both characters in that ship and none of themk bugged me.

Great viewing on Pangs!

Hush: I realized something about Xander's character, even though he's big with the speechifying, but his true feelings are more about his actions than his words. Xander doesn't really know how he really feels about Anya until he thinks Spike killed her, his anger and beating shows Anya that he really cares about her. Same with Buffy in Dead Man's Party: He's lashing out on Buffy, but when danger comes, he forgets all about it and stands by her side to help.

Heeee! Kennedy was hot though... (I like Willow, but not in *that* way!)

we only saw passion from Willow when she was doing something selfish.
Or magical... maybe that's why Willow/Tara wokred so well? *g*

And thanks!

It was a cute relationship I seriously wanted to work out
Me too! *sigh*

Pangs is just wonderful! :)

his true feelings are more about his actions than his words
::nods::

I used to like Willow/Xander, then Willow/Tara. But I don't think Xander/Willow were ever hot thinking about it. Except when they were both vamped *g*

I think it's part of the reason they worked so well....at first. It was, of course, the reason they broke up, as well.

Think about it: pre, during and post Tara....a lot of Willow's magic was self-serving. De-lusting, vengeance, My-Will-Be-Done and mind-wipe spells, not to mention World-Ending!Willow, just to name a few.

But don't get me wrong...I'm not trying to say she never did anything helpful. Just that she seemed much more passionate when it was serving HER personal needs.

Like most people, I love Willow/Oz. It’s such a sweet pairing, but when Veruca comes along I realised what was missing: Passion. It might be there, but I can’t see it.

Whenever I'm forced to deploy my big "why it was perfectly believable and in-character for Willow to decide she was gay in season 4" argument, this is always Exhibit A. :) Her first and only "proper boyfriend" gave her plenty of intellectual companionship and emotional support, but seemed to have almost zero interest in sex... and looking at it from Oz's point of view, clearly Veruca had something to offer him that he didn't feel (subconsciously) that he was getting from Willow...

(It might also be because I don’t find AH hot...

How odd. ;) She's utterly adorable in 'Wild At Heart' - although I probably wouldn't use the word 'hot' until, oh, about the time of 'Tabula Rasa' and onwards.

this is always Exhibit A. :)
And it's a very good one too!

and looking at it from Oz's point of view, clearly Veruca had something to offer him that he didn't feel (subconsciously) that he was getting from Willow...
He's not the type to talk a lot, but the fact that he didn't tell anyone about her, and just fixed up the cage... *lifts eyebrow* Also we have Willow putting her finger on it:
But you wanted her... Like in an animal way? Like...More than you wanted me?

She's utterly adorable in 'Wild At Heart'
Oh I'm with you on that one. I like Willow a lot, just like I like Xander. But I wouldn't say that either was hot. (I think it's about the characters as much as the looks - Caleb is a creep, but Captain Mal is *very* sexy!)

" And that’s where he’ll stay, as a part of the group"

Spike was never inside "the group" He was always outside looking in

Spike was never inside "the group" He was always outside looking in

No more than Anya, or Tara... or even Giles after season 6.

He was as much part of the group as Angel (Xander: "Angel is our friend. Except I don't like him."), which is the parallel I was going for. Sometimes he even got an easier ride (compare 'Revelations' to 'Beneath You' f.ex.).

Most of these parallels I had noticed but NOT the the way Pangs foreshadows Angel and Spike's roles in relation to Buffy and the show itself. And as you say, a very obvious parallel *slaps forehead* May I quote you on that?

Nor had I made the connection between Forrest's speech and Giles' conversation with Olivia and that's really brilliant of you. (in the end, he's more "alone" than Buffy in many ways, but in the end the story is about her journey, not his.)

Of course you may quote me! *beams*

(Sorry my comments are so brief or nonexistent - I've no time this week. /o\)

No problem - I'm thrilled you're still seeing these comments (and that people are still reading them; they're so thought-inspiring on a lot of levels.) I'm becoming incoherent, must dash off to make dinner.

Wild At Heart, Pangs, Hush. Mini thoughts.

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